Managing communications utilizing communication categories

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and computer-readable mediums for managing communications on telecommunication devices utilizing communication categories are provided. A subset of contacts accessible by a telecommunication device are associated with one or more communication categories. Each communication category can be associated with a set of communication activities. Based on a selection of a specific contact, a telecommunication device can generate a display having display objects representative of communication categories associated with the selected contact. Additionally, based on a selection of a communication category, the telecommunication device can further generate a display including display objects representative of a set of communication activities corresponding to the selected communication category.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/413,397, entitled MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS UTILIZING COMMUNICATION CATEGORIES and filed Mar. 27, 2009, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Generally described, telecommunication devices and communication networks facilitate the collection and exchange of information. Utilizing a communication network and relevant communication protocols, a telecommunication device can engage in audio or data communications with other telecommunication devices, such as voice calls, video calls, messaging (e.g., short message service (“SMS”) or multimedia messaging service (“MMS”)), content streaming, instant messaging, resource browsing (e.g., Web browsing), and the like.

To facilitate communications, telecommunication devices can be associated with software and hardware components that allow the telecommunication device to maintain contact information, such as telephone numbers, email addresses, messaging addresses, etc., utilized to establish and engage in communications via available communication channels. Typically, such contact information is maintained as contact information in which all known contact information for an identified entity, such as user, can be presented to a telecommunication device user. For example, a telecommunication device may present a user interface in which the contact information associated with a selected individual is presented in a list-based format. In another example, a telecommunication device with voice calling functionality may maintain a “last call list” that keeps track of telephone numbers of the most recent incoming or outgoing calls from the telecommunication device.

Although contact management user interfaces and software can facilitate the input and management of contact information for a larger set of contacts, typical contact management approaches can become deficient as the set of entities associated with a user grows. In one example, typical call list approaches are limited in the number of contacts identified in the user interfaces (e.g., the last 4 numbers called). Accordingly, such approaches can become deficient as the number of incoming or outgoing communications (e.g., voice calls) increases because potentially desired contacts are removed from the display based on order of the most recent incoming or outgoing communications.

In another example, typical contact management approaches relate to the presentation of the entire set of contacts that are associated with a user, such as in alphabetical order. As the number of contacts maintained in the telecommunication device, or on behalf of the telecommunication device increases, users may have increased difficulty in identifying contact information for specific entities. Additionally, for each contact, the typical contact management approach identifies all known contact information (e.g., phone numbers, IM aliases, email addresses, etc.) without regard to a desired, or preferred, communication method. Additionally, the typical contact management approach does not take into account the manner in which the contact was selected in presenting contact information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of the present disclosure will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrative of a telecommunication environment including a number of telecommunication devices and a communication processing service;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrative of components of a telecommunication device for use in the generation, management, and display of communication category and communication activity information;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams of the telecommunication environment of FIG. 1 illustrating the interaction between a telecommunication device and a communication management service for presenting communication categories and communication activities to a telecommunication device user;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrative of a communication category determination routine implemented by a communication management service to generate communication category information;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrative of a communication activity determination routine implemented by a communication management service to communication activity information;

FIGS. 6A-6C are illustrative user interfaces generated on a telecommunication device for presenting a subset of contacts associated with a telecommunications device user for selection;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are illustrative user interfaces generated on a telecommunication device for presenting communication categories associated with a selected contact; and

FIGS. 8A and 8B are illustrative user interfaces generated on a telecommunication device for presenting a set of communication activities associated with a selected communication activity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally described, aspects of the present disclosure relate to the management of contact information utilizing communication category and communication activity information. In an illustrative embodiment, a subset of contacts accessible by a telecommunication device can be associated with one or more communication categories. Illustratively, communication categories correspond to a logical organization of one or more communication activities that can be initiated, or cause to be initiated, by the telecommunication device. The communication categories do not correspond to the communication activities. Rather, they represent a collection of specific communication activities that are intended to achieve types of communication. Examples of communication categories can include, but are not limited to, sharing, calling, messaging, posting, broadcasting, and the like.

For a selected contact, the telecommunication device can generate a display that provides a user with a display of available (or possible) telecommunication categories associated with the selected contact. The display may be based on processing context information associated with the user, the selected contact, service plans, etc. Additionally, the display may be prioritized according to user profile information, preference information, historical information, etc. Upon selection of a specific communication category, the telecommunication device can then generate additional displays that identify a set of communication activities corresponding to the selected communication category. For example, for a selected messaging communication category, the telecommunication device may generate a display that identifies email, SMS, MMS, IM, Twitter, or other social networking sites as possible communication activities that correspond to the communication category. The identification of specific communication activities may be processed on context information or prioritized according to user profile, preference or historical information. Additionally, the activities may be configured in a manner such that selection of a specific communication activity initiates the selected communication activity with the selected contact (e.g., an SMS message configured with the appropriate identifier for the selected contact).

Although aspects of the present disclosure will be described with regard to an illustrative telecommunication environment and component interactions, communication protocols, flow diagrams and user interfaces, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the disclosed embodiments are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting. Specifically, although the term telecommunication device is used in this document, the term represents any type of device having a component for communicating with one or more other devices via one or more communication paths. Such communication paths can include wireless communication paths (via infra-red, RF, optical, terrestrial, or satellite communication media) and wired communication paths. Additionally, although the present disclosure references a telecommunication device, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that a telecommunication device may also be referred to as a wireless computing device, a mobile communication device, or a computing device. Examples of telecommunication devices are described below with regard to FIG. 1. Accordingly, reference to a telecommunication device should not be interpreted as including any particular functionality or operation not described in the present disclosure. Still further, although the present disclosure is described with regard to specific displays and specific methodologies and frameworks for generating communication categories and identifying communication activities, the present disclosure should not be construed to require combination of the disclosed embodiments or any specific variation unless such combination or variation is expressly identified.

With reference now to FIG. 1, a block diagram illustrative of a telecommunication environment 100 will be described. The telecommunication environment 100 can include a communication service 102. In an illustrative embodiment, the communication service 102 may be utilized to provide, maintain or transmit communication category or communication activity information to one or more telecommunication devices, as will be described below.

The communication category or communication activity information may be generated, at least in part, from information corresponding to interaction with individual users of telecommunication devices and maintained in a data store 110. Additionally, the communication service 102 may obtain additional information from external sources, such as network-based data sources 120. The additional information may become part of the communication category or communication activity information. Additionally, the additional information may be used by the communication service 102 to generate or process the communication category or communication activity information. Such network-based data sources may include web sites, location based services, social network services, telecommunication services, message publication services, etc. While the data store 110 is depicted in FIG. 1 as being local to the communication service 102, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the data store 110 may be remote to the communication service 102 and/or may be a network based service itself.

While the communication service 102 is depicted in FIG. 1 as implemented by a single computing device in the telecommunication environment 100, this is illustrative only. The communication service 102 may be embodied in a plurality of computing devices, each executing an instance of the communication service. A server or other computing device implementing the communication service 102 may include memory, processing unit(s), and computer readable medium drive(s), all of which may communicate with one another by way of a communication bus. The network interface may provide connectivity over the network 118 and/or other networks or computer systems. The processing unit(s) may communicate to and from memory containing program instructions that the processing unit(s) executes in order to operate the communication service 102. The memory generally includes RAM, ROM, and/or other persistent and auxiliary memory.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the communication service 102 can include an external data source interface component 104 for obtaining external information from network data sources 120, such as location data, contact data, and other supplemental data that can be incorporated, directly or indirectly, into the communication category or communication activity information. Examples of external information can include images of an event location, digital media, social networking information, and the like. The communication service 102 can also include a device interface component 106 for obtaining information from one or more telecommunication devices (e.g., location data for telecommunication device(s), IP addresses assigned to computing device(s), etc.). The communication service 102 can further include a communication management component 108 for processing telecommunication device information and external information in generating various types of communication category and communication activity information or to provide communication category or communication activity information upon request.

One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the communication service 102 may correspond to a number of computer devices, such as server computing devices. Additionally, the external data source interface component 104, device interface component 106, and communication management component 108 may be implemented in a single computing device or across multiple computing devices. One skilled in the relevant art will also appreciate that the communication service 102 may include any one of a number of additional hardware and software components that would be utilized in the illustrative computerized network environment to carry out the illustrative functions of the service 102 or any of the individually identified components.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the telecommunication device communication environment 100 can include a number of telecommunication devices 112 or other computing devices 122, each associated with a user. The telecommunication devices 112 or other computing devices 122 can generate the displays that facilitate interaction of a user with other users or other network-based resources. The telecommunication devices 112 can correspond to a wide variety of devices or components that are capable of initiating, receiving or facilitating communications over a communication network including, but not limited to, personal computing devices, electronic book readers (e.g., e-book readers), hand held computing devices, integrated components for inclusion in computing devices, home electronics, appliances, vehicles, machinery, landline telephones, network-based telephones (e.g., voice over IP (“VoIP”), cordless telephones, cellular telephones, smart phones, modems, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, gaming devices, media devices, and the like. In an illustrative embodiment, the telecommunication devices 112 include a wide variety of software and hardware components for establishing communications over one or more communication networks, including wireless communication network 114, a wired communication network (not shown), or an IP-based telecommunication network (not shown). Illustrative components of a telecommunication device 112 will be described in greater detail with regard to FIG. 2.

In an illustrative embodiment, the telecommunication device communication environment 100 can include a number of additional components, systems and/or subsystems for facilitating communications with the telecommunication devices 112 or the communication service 102. The additional components can include one or more switching centers 116 for establishing communications with the telecommunication devices 112 via the wireless communication network 114, such as a cellular radio access network, a wireless network based on the family of IEEE 802.11 technical standards (“WiFi”), a wireless network based on IEEE 802.16 standards (“WiMax”), a converged wireless telecommunication network such as Unlicensed Mobile Access (“UMA”), or General Access Network (“GAN”), and other wireless networks. The operation of mobile communication networks, such as wireless communication network 114 are well known and will not be described in greater detail. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the mobile switching center 116 includes interfaces for establishing various communications via a communication network 118, such as the Internet, intranets, private networks and point to point networks, generally referred to as the “network.” Although the wireless communication network 114 is illustrated as a single communication network, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the communication network can be made up of any number of public or private communication networks and/or network connections.

As noted above, the telecommunication device communication environment 100 can further include one or more network data sources 120 for providing external information to the communication service 102. The network data sources 120 may include a number of computing devices for obtaining and processing requests for information from either the communication service 102 and/or the telecommunication devices 112.

With reference now to FIG. 2, illustrative components of a telecommunication device, such as telecommunication device 112, for use in the generation of displays including communication category and communication activity information will be described. The telecommunication device 112 may include one or more processing units 202, such as one or more CPUs. The telecommunication device 112 may also include system memory 204, which may correspond to any combination of volatile and/or non-volatile storage mechanisms. The system memory 204 may store information which provides an operating system component 206, various program components 208, program data 210, a communication management module 222 and/or other components. As will be explained in greater detail below, the communication management module 222 stored in system memory of the telecommunication device 112 may perform all or some of the functions described above in connection with the data processing component 109 of the communication service 102 (FIG. 1). The above-enumerated list of components is representative and is not exhaustive of the types of functions performed, or components implemented, by the telecommunication device 112. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that additional or alternative components may also be included in the telecommunication device 112 to carry out other intended functions such as a mobile telephone functions.

The telecommunication device 112 performs functions by using the processing unit(s) 202 to execute instructions provided by the system memory 204. The telecommunication device 112 may also include one or more input devices 212 (keyboard, mouse device, specialized selection keys, etc.) and one or more output devices 214 (displays, printers, audio output mechanisms, etc.). Illustrative user interfaces for a telecommunication device 112 will be described with regard to FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, described below.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the telecommunication device 112 may also include one or more types of removable storage 216 and one or more types of non-removable storage 218. Still further, the telecommunication device 112 can include communication components 220 for facilitating communication via wired and wireless communication networks, such as the wireless communication network 114 and network 118 (FIG. 1). Examples of various communication protocols include, but are not limited to, Bluetooth, the family of IEEE 802.11 technical standards (“WiFi”), the IEEE 802.16 standards (“WiMax), short message service (“SMS”), voice over IP (“VoIP”) as well as various generation cellular air interface protocols (including, but not limited to, air interface protocols based on CDMA, TDMA, GSM, WCDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, WTDMA, LTE, OFDMA, and similar technologies).

As previously described, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a telecommunication device 112 can generate one or more displays on a user interface via an output device 114. In an illustrative embodiment, the displays include various display objects that represent communication categories, communication activities, or combinations thereof. In an illustrative embodiment, display objects may be selectable by a user via any one of a variety of input methods and devices. Additionally, the determination of the display objects that are included in the displays may be predetermined, automatically determined (in real time or semi-real time), or manually configured/managed according to user-specified criteria. Further, the display and formatting of the display objects and the illustrative displays may be specified according to specific telecommunication device capabilities, service provider specifications, or user configurations.

With reference now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, illustrative interactions with the components of the telecommunication environment 100 for the generation of displays including communication categories and communication activities will be described. Although the present disclosure will be described with regard to interactions between a telecommunication device 112 and a communication service 102 via a communication network 108, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that such interaction may be practiced between alternative components in the telecommunication environment 100 or in conjunction with additional components. Accordingly, the illustrated interaction in FIGS. 3A and 3B should not be construed as limiting.

With reference to FIG. 3A, a user of a telecommunication device 112 accesses the telecommunication device and is presented with a subset of contacts. The subset of contacts can correspond to a user, or user account. At some point, the telecommunication device 112 obtains a user selection of a contact from the subset of contacts available. For example, the user may select a display object on a display screen corresponding to a specific contact. Examples screen displays for selecting display objects corresponding to contacts will be described with regard to FIGS. 6A-6C.

A communication service 102 obtains and processes the user selection of a contact. Specifically, in an illustrative embodiment, the communication service 102 identifies one or more communication categories that correspond to the selected contact. The communication service 102 can then generate a display, or provide information such that the telecommunication device 112 can generate, that includes display objects representative of the identified communication categories.

With reference now to FIG. 3B, a user may be presented with any one of a variety of displays that identify the communication categories associated with a selected contact. Illustrative displays having display objects corresponding to communication categories will be described with regard to FIGS. 7A and 7B. As will be explained in greater detail below, the communication category display objects may be displayed on the telecommunication device 112 in a display that only includes other communication category display objects. Alternatively, the communication category display objects may be displayed on the telecommunication device 112 in a display that may include other communication category display objects, one or more communication activity display objects, or other display objects. Thereafter, the telecommunication device 112 obtains a user selection of a specific communication category, which is transmitted to the communication service 102. The communication service 102 processes the selected communication category to identify one or more communication activities associated with the selected communication category. The communication service 102 can then generate a display, or provide information such that the telecommunication device 112 can generate, that includes display objects representative of the identified communication activities. Accordingly, the telecommunication device 112 can process a selection of a communication activity, or activities, to initiate or have initiated the selected communication activity.

With reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5, flow diagrams illustrative of various routines implemented by a communication service 102 to generate communication category information and communication activity information will be described. Such routines will be described as being generally performed by the communication service 102. However, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that actions/steps outlined for either routine may be implemented by one or many computing devices/components that are associated with the telecommunication environment 100. Accordingly, any functionality described in reference to either routine could be generally performed by any component in the telecommunication device management environment 100, including communication management module 222 of the telecommunication device 112, other modules, or combinations thereof. Thus, the following illustrative embodiments should not be construed as limiting.

Turning to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of an illustrative of a communication category determination routine 400 implemented by a communication management service to generate communication category information will be described. At block 402, the communication service 102 obtains a selection of a contact. In an illustrative embodiment, any one of a variety of methodologies may be utilized to present users of a telecommunication device 112 with at least a subset of contacts for selection. Three illustrative screen displays for the selection of contacts will be described below with regard to FIGS. 6A-6C. In an illustrative embodiment, the selection of the contact may be achieved utilizing a variety of input methods and hardware or software components in the telecommunications device 112. Examples include, but are not limited to, touch screen interfaces, specialized keys, stylus or other input devices, software based menus, voice commands, and the like.

At block 404, the communication service 102 identifies one or more communication categories associated with the selected contact. As previously described, the communication categories relate to a grouping communication activities in which a user of the telecommunication device 112 can initiate communication with the selected contact via the telecommunication device 112, or other computing device 122. Examples of communication categories include, but are not limited to, direct communication, group communication, synchronous communication, asynchronous communication, immediate communication, delayed communication, personal communication, voice calling, video calling, messaging, publishing, sharing, distributing, public communication, and the like. Additionally, in some embodiments, communication categories being associated with the same or substantially similar sets of communication activities may be labeled differently by a service provider or a telecommunication device user.

In an illustrative embodiment, the communication categories associated with a selected contact may be predetermined or otherwise statically determined and maintained in the data store 110 (FIG. 1). Accordingly, the identification of the communication categories by the communication service 102 relates to recalling and processing the static data. In another embodiment, the communication service 102, or other component or service, may dynamically determine the communication categories that are to be associated with the selected contact. In such a dynamic determination embodiment, the communication service 102 may maintain a set of possible communication categories that may be utilized and filter the set of possible communication categories as applicable. Additionally, the communication service 102 can obtain additional information associated with the selected contact, such as polling computing devices associated with the selected contact, accessing user profile or preference information, etc. to identify available communication categories or to filter possible communication category information. The communication service 102 may maintain the results of a dynamic determination, such as in a data cache, to reuse the communication category information for some period of time.

At block 406, the communication service 102 process the communication category information, at least in part, based on context information. Generally described, context information can correspond to information that is published, or otherwise made available, about current or future availability of communication categories or communication activities for an identified entity. Context information can include indications of whether specific communication categories or communication activities are available and a duration of such availability or unavailability (e.g., no voice calls from 4 to 6 pm). Context information can also include preference information indicating preferred communication categories or communication activities for the identified entity (e.g., prefer to receive SMS or MMS messages during scheduled meetings). Context information may be expressly published by the identified entity or determined by reference to various information sources, such as calendaring information, location information, etc. Additionally, context information may be applied as general rules for all attempts to communicate with the identified entity or selectively applied to specific individuals or types of individuals (e.g., allow voice calls from any entity associated with a “high priority label” in my address book).

Illustratively, the communication service 102 can obtain information about the user associated with the telecommunication device 112, the selected contact, or both. Based on the collected context information, the communication service 102 can determine whether one or more communication categories are not currently available. In another example, the communication service 102 can determine whether one or more communication categories should be prioritized based on preferences identified in the context information. In still a further example, the communication service 102 can modify the communication category information to conform to the context information. For example, if the context information indicates that only voice calls to a landline are available, a communication category corresponding to “voice calls” would have to be configured such that only voice calls to landlines would be presented as an option. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that block 406 may be omitted altogether or partially implemented in accordance with user preference, service provider preferences, and the availability of context information to the communication service 102.

At block 408, the communication service 102 generates one or more displays that include the identified contact information. Illustrative screen displays having display objects representative of communication category information will be described with regard to FIGS. 7A and 7B. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate the screen displays will be generated on the telecommunication device 112. Accordingly, the communication service 102 may generate the displays for display on the telecommunications device 112 or otherwise provide information necessary for the displays to be generated on the telecommunication device 112. At block 410, the routine 400 terminates.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a flow diagram of an illustrative of a communication activity determination routine 500 implemented by a communication management service to generate communication activity information will be described. As previously described, in an illustrative embodiment, communication category information does not correspond to a communication activity. Rather, communication category information relates to a set of communication activities or a collection of communication activities that are further identified to the user of telecommunication device 112. Accordingly, to initiate a specific communication activity associated with a communication category, a user of a telecommunication device can select a specific communication category and be subsequently presented with the set of communication activities associated with the selected communication categories. However, as will be explained below with reference to illustrative screen displays, in one embodiment, users may be presented with displays that can incorporate a combination of data objects representative of communication categories and communication activities.

At block 502, the communication service 102 obtains a selection of a communication category. As previously described with regard to routine 400 (FIG. 4), any one of a variety of methodologies may be utilized to present users of a telecommunication device 112 with at least a subset of contacts for selection. The selection of communication categories may be achieved utilizing a variety of input methods and hardware or software components in the telecommunications device 112. At block 504, the communication service 102 identifies one or more communication activities associated with the selected communication category. Examples of communication activities that may be associated with one or more communication categories include, but are not limited to, voice calls, video calls, VoIP calls or other packet-based communications, SMS, MMS, Web logs (Blogs), micro-Blogs, electronic mail, voicemail, location publication, text to speech, speech to text, audio files/dictation, social network APIs, other network resource interfaces, search engine inputs, and the like. Additionally, in an illustrative embodiment, a communication activity may be defined not only in terms of the underlying method of communication, but also in the specific configuration of the method of communication. For example, a SMS communication activity may be defined in terms of both the type of message to be delivered and the configuration of the specific addressees (or other parameters) for the message.

In an illustrative embodiment, the communication activities associated with a selected communication category may be predetermined or otherwise statically determined and maintained in the data store 110 (FIG. 1). Accordingly, the identification of the communication activities by the communication service 102 relates to recalling and processing the static data. In another embodiment, the communication service 102, or other component or service, may dynamically determine the communication activities that are to be associated with the selected communication category. In such a dynamic determination embodiment, the communication service 102 may maintain a set of possible communication activities that have been associated with at least a subset of communication categories and filter the set of possible communication activities as applicable. Additionally, the communication service 102 can obtain additional information associated with the selected contact, such as polling computing devices associated with the selected contact, accessing user profile or preference information, etc. to identify available communication activities or to filter possible communication activity information. The communication service 102 may maintain the results of a dynamic determination, such as in a data cache, to reuse the communication activity information for some period of time. Additionally, the communication service 102 may identify or determine the communication activity information as part of the determination of communication category information (block 404 of FIG. 4). In such an embodiment, block 504 may be omitted or partially performed, such as to check for updates or expired data.

At block 506, the communication service 102 process the communication activity information, at least in part, based on context information. As previously described, context information can correspond to information that is published, or otherwise made available, about current or future availability of communication categories or communication activities for an identified entity. Context information can include indications of whether specific communication categories or communication activities are available and a duration of such availability or unavailability (e.g., no SMS messages after 8 pm). Context information can also include preference information indicating preferred communication categories or communication activities for the identified entity (e.g., prefer to receive SMS or MMS messages during scheduled meetings). Context information may be expressly published by the identified entity or determined by reference to various information sources, such as calendaring information, location information, etc. Additionally, context information may be applied as general rules for all attempts to communicate with the identified entity or selectively applied to specific individuals or types of individuals (e.g., allow voice calls from any entity associated with a “high priority label” in my address book).

Illustratively, the communication service 102 can obtain information about the user associated with the telecommunication device 112, the selected contact, or both. Based on the collected context information, the communication service 102 can determine whether one or more communication activities otherwise identified with the selected communication category are not currently available. In another example, the communication service 102 can determine whether one or more communication activities should be prioritized based on preferences identified in the context information. In still a further example, the communication service 102 can modify the communication activity information to conform to the context information. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that block 506 may be omitted altogether or partially implemented in accordance with user preference, service provider preferences, and the availability of context information to the communication service 102. Additionally, some or all of the processing associated with block 506 may be performed as part of the processing of context information for the determination of communication categories at block 406 (FIG. 4). Similarly, block 506 may be performed even if the processing of context information for the determination of communication categories at block 406 is omitted. An example of a system, method and interface for displaying and prioritizing communication activities according to individual context is described in co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/133,324, entitled “Messaging Device for Delivering Messages to Recipients Based on Availability and Preferences of Recipients,” which is incorporated by reference herein.

At block 508, the communication service 102 generates one or more displays that include the identified communication activities for the selected communication category. Illustrative screen displays having display objects representative of communication category information will be described with regard to FIGS. 8A and 8B. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate the screen displays will be generated on the telecommunication device 112. Accordingly, the communication service 102 may generate the displays for display on the telecommunications device 112 or otherwise provide information necessary for the displays to be generated on the telecommunication device 112. At block 510, the communication service 102 obtains a selection of a specific communication activity and initiates the communication activity at block 514. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the initiation of communication activities may be controlled solely by the telecommunication device 112. Accordingly, block 510 and 512 may be omitted altogether. Alternatively, in the event that the communication activity requires interaction with other components in the telecommunication environment 100, the communication service 102 may work in conjunction with the telecommunication device 112 or on behalf of the telecommunication device to initiate the communication activity, or otherwise cause the communication activity to be performed. At block 514, the routine 500 terminates.

With reference now to FIGS. 6A-6C, illustrative user interfaces generated on a telecommunication device for presenting a subset of contacts associated with a telecommunications device user for selection will be described. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the screen display are illustrative in nature and should be construed as limiting. With reference to FIG. 6A, one embodiment of a user interface generated by the telecommunications device 112 for facilitating the selection of contacts will be described. In this embodiment, a display screen 600 includes a first portion 602 for displaying movement of a set of graphical identifiers about an axis external to the telecommunications device 112. The graphical identifiers can be considered display objects 402 in which each display object corresponds to a specific contact. For example, the display objects 402 may correspond to contacts that have been identified by the user as “favorites” or in which audio call communications are under a special service provider rate plan. As the rotation of the display objects 402 is emulated, one display object is manipulated to be the focal point of the interface, as illustrated on display object 604. Accordingly, the user can select the contact associated with the focal point display object 604. Depending on the capabilities of the telecommunication device 112, other display objects may also be selectable.

With reference to FIG. 6B, another embodiment of a user interface generated by the telecommunications device 112 for facilitating the selection of contacts will be described. In this embodiment, a display screen 600 includes a first portion 610 for displaying display objects representative of contacts as part of a group-based information display. Specifically, the group-based information can be represented as a display that incorporates a selection of display objects 612 corresponding to contacts and display objects 614 corresponding to applications or other executable components. In this illustrative embodiment, the display objects 612 may be selectable by a user of the telecommunication device 112 in a variety of manners. Additionally, the display objects 612 and 614 corresponding to the contacts and applications and other executable components can be configured according to organizational criteria common to the objects.

With reference to FIG. 6C, another embodiment of a user interface generated by the telecommunications device 112 for facilitating the selection of contacts will be described. In this embodiment, a display screen 600 includes a first portion 630 for displaying movement of a set of graphical identifiers about an axis. The graphical identifiers can be considered display objects 632 in which each display object corresponds to a specific contact. For example, the display objects 632 may correspond to contacts that have been identified by on behalf of the user as the contacts most frequently accessed by the user. As the rotation of the display objects 632 is emulated, a user can selected any of the display objects 632. Alternatively, the size and formatting of one or more of the display objects 632 may also be varied to facilitate focus on particular display objects 632.

With reference now to FIGS. 7A and 7B, illustrative user interfaces generated on a telecommunication device for presenting communication categories for a selected contact will be described. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the screen display are illustrative in nature and should be construed as limiting. With reference to FIG. 7A, one embodiment of a user interface generated by the telecommunications device 112 for facilitating the display and selection of communication categories for a selected contact will be described. In this embodiment, a display screen 700 includes a first portion 702 for displaying communication categories. The first portion 702 includes one or more display objects 704 that correspond to a representation of the selected contact, including text, graphics, multi-media and the like that facilitates the identification of the selected contact. As also illustrated in FIG. 7A, the first portion 702 also includes a set of three display objects 704, 706, and 708 that are representative of communication categories, “SHARE,” “POST,” and “CALL,” respectively. In this embodiment, the first portion 702 only includes display objects 704-708 that are representative of communication categories and does not include any display objects that are representative of communication activities. The display objects 704-708 may be selectable in variety of manners, as described above.

Turning now to FIG. 7B, another embodiment of a user interface generated by the telecommunications device 112 for facilitating the display and selection of communication categories for a selected contact will be described. In this embodiment, a display screen 700 includes a first portion 720 for displaying communication categories. Similar to the screen display described in FIG. 7A, the first portion 720 includes one or more display objects 722 that correspond to a representation of the selected contact, including text, graphics, multi-media and the like that facilitates the identification of the selected contact. The first portion 720 also includes a set of four display objects 722-730, representative of communication categories. As previously discussed, the display objects 722-730 may be selected, ordered, or otherwise prioritized, according to a number of factors including preference information, historical use or other criteria.

With continued reference to FIG. 7B, in this embodiment, the first portion 702 also includes a display object 732 that is not representative of communication categories. Instead, display object 732 corresponds to a communication activity that is selectable by a user and will result in the initiation of a corresponding communication activity. In one example, display object 732 may correspond to a communication activity that is common to two or more communication categories 722-730. In another example, display object 732 may correspond to a communication activity that is not common to any communication categories or that is not associated with the identified communication categories 722-730.

With reference now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, illustrative user interfaces generated on a telecommunication device for presenting communication activities will be described. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the screen display are illustrative in nature and should be construed as limiting. With reference to FIG. 8A, the display 800 includes a first portion 802 for displaying movement of a set of graphical identifiers about an axis. The graphical identifiers can be considered display objects 804 are representative of communication activities that correspond to the selected contact 806 and a selected communication category. For example, the display objects 802 may correspond to communication activities related to a “messaging” communication category, such as email, SMS, IM and MMS communication activities. As the rotation of the display objects 804 is emulated, a user can selected any of the display objects 804. Alternatively, the size and formatting of one or more of the display objects 804 may also be varied to facilitate focus on particular display objects 804. As previously described, the communication activities may be configured based on the selected communication category and the selected contact.

With reference to FIG. 8B, another embodiment of a user interface generated by the telecommunications device 112 for facilitating the display and selection of communication categories for a selected contact will be described. In this embodiment, a display screen 800 includes a first portion 820 for displaying communication categories. The first portion 820 includes one or more display objects 822 that correspond to a representation of the selected contact, including text, graphics, multi-media and the like that facilitates the identification of the selected contact. The first portion 820 also includes a set of three display objects 824, 826 and 828 that are representative of communication activities relating to a calling communication activity, “HOME,” “MOBILE,” and “TEXT TO SPEECH,” respectively. As previously described, the communication activities may be configured based on the selected communication category and the selected contact.

In addition to the above-described illustrative screen displays, additional embodiments for arrangements of communication categories and associated communication activities will be described. However, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the disclosed embodiments are not exhaustive of the communication categories or associated communication activities that may be utilized in accordance with the present application. Additionally, although specific communication categories will be described in pairs for illustrative purposes, such examples should not be construed as requiring pairing of any particular communication categories or excluding additional or alternative combinations.

In one embodiment, a first communication category, labeled “Direct Communication,” corresponds to an organization of communication activities configured to result in a direct communication with the selected contact. The communication activities can illustratively include voice calls (configured to known calling identifiers associated with the selected contact) and SMS messaging. In the same embodiment, another communication category, labeled “Group Communication,” corresponds to an organization of communication activities to result in communication with the selected contact non-direct communication methodologies. The communication activities can illustratively include emails (configured according to a group distribution list), SMS messages (configured according to a group distribution list), Blogs, and micro-Blogs.

In another embodiment, a first communication category, labeled “Communicate Now,” corresponds to an organization of communication activities configured to result in an immediate communication with the selected contact. The communication activities can illustratively include voice or video calls (configured to specific calling identifiers associated with the selected contact), SMS messaging, and email messaging (configured in accordance with a high priority designation. In the same embodiment, another communication category, labeled “Communicate Later,” corresponds to an organization of communication activities to result in a non-immediate communication with the selected contact. The communication activities can illustratively include emails (configured according to a low priority designation), Blogs, and micro-Blogs.

In a further embodiment, a first communication category, labeled “Synchronous Communication,” corresponds to an organization of communication activities configured to elicit an immediate response from the selected contact. The communication activities can illustratively include voice or video calls (configured to specific calling identifiers associated with the selected contact, SMS and MMS messaging, and IM messaging. In the same embodiment, another communication category, labeled “Asynchronous Messaging,” corresponds to an organization of communication activities to result in a non-immediate response from the selected contact. The communication activities can illustratively include emails, Blogs, and micro-Blogs.

In yet another embodiment, a first communication category, labeled “Family,” corresponds to an organization of communication activities configured to result in a communication with the selected contact that includes members of a group designated as “Family.” The communication activities can illustratively include Blogs, social networking APIs, and emails (configured according to a group distribution list). In the same embodiment, another communication category, labeled “Individual,” corresponds to an organization of communication activities to result in a direct communication with the selected contact. The communication activities can illustratively include voice calls (configured to known calling identifiers associated with the selected contact) and SMS messaging.

All of the processes described herein may be embodied in, and fully automated via, software code modules executed by one or more general purpose computers or processors. The code modules may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Some or all the methods may alternatively be embodied in specialized computer hardware. In addition, the components referred to herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof.

Conditional language such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, are otherwise understood within the context as used in general to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements or blocks in the flow diagrams described herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should be understood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or elements in the process. Alternate implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments described herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executed out of order from that shown, or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing communications comprising: a data store for maintaining information regarding communication categories and communication activities corresponding to telecommunication devices; a communication management component, implemented by executing instructions on a processor associated with a telecommunication device, the communication management component operative to: identify a subset of contacts associated with a user of a telecommunication device, wherein the subset of user contacts includes a portion of contacts accessible by the telecommunication device; determine first and second communication categories for the at least subset of contacts, wherein the first and second communication categories are associated with a set of communication activities, wherein the set of communication activities associated with the first communication category and the set of communication activities associated with the second communication category have at least one communication activity in common, and wherein the first and second communication categories do not correspond to a communication activity; obtain a selection of a contact corresponding to the subset of contacts; cause the generation of a display on the telecommunication device, the display including a representation of the first and second communication categories; obtain a selection of at least one of the first and second communication category; cause the generation of a display on the telecommunication device, the display including a representation at least one of the set of communication activities associated with the selected communication category; obtain a selection of a communication activity; and cause the initiation of the selected communication activity on the telecommunication device.
 2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication management component predetermines the first and second communication categories.
 3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication management component dynamically determines the first and second communication categories.
 4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the display including the first and second communication categories does not include any display objects representative of a communication activity.
 5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the display including the first and second communication categories includes at least one display object representative of at least one communication activity associated with the first and second communication activity.
 6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the display including the first and second communication categories includes at least one display object representative of at least one communication activity not associated with the first and second communication activity.
 7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication management component determines the first and second communication categories based on a context of at least one of the user of the telecommunication device and at least one of the subset of contacts.
 8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one communication activity in the set of communication activities associated with the first communication category is determined according to a context of at least one of the user of the telecommunication device and at least one of the subset of contacts.
 9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication management component prioritizes the communication activities included in the display on the telecommunication device including a representation at least one of the set of communication activities associated with the selected communication category.
 10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the communication management component prioritizes based on at least one of a frequency of use, a cost associated with the communication activity, a last used communication activity, and a service provider rate plan.
 11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of communication activities associated with the first communication category is determined prior to selection of the first communication category.
 12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of communication activities associated with the first communication category is determined dynamically.
 13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the communication management component determines the set the communication activities associated with the first communication category upon selection of the communication category.
 14. A computer-implemented method comprising: obtaining a selection of a subset of contacts associated with a user of a telecommunication device, wherein the subset of user contacts includes a portion of contacts accessible by the telecommunication device; determining one or more communication categories for the at least subset of contacts, wherein the one or more communication categories are associated with a set of communication activities and wherein the one or more communication categories do not correspond to a communication activity; obtaining a selection of a contact corresponding to the subset of contacts; causing the generation of a first display on the telecommunication device, the display including a representation of the one or more communication categories; obtaining a selection of a communication category represented in the display; causing the generation of a second display on the telecommunication device, the display including a representation at least a portion of the set of communication activities associated with the selected communication category; obtaining a selection of a communication activity represented in the second display; and causing the initiation of the selected communication activity on the telecommunication device.
 15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein determining one or more communication categories for the at least subset of contacts includes determining the one or more communication categories prior to obtaining the selection of a contact corresponding to the subset of contacts.
 16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein determining one or more communication categories for the at least subset of contacts includes dynamically determining the one or more communication categories upon obtaining the selection of a contact corresponding to the subset of contacts.
 17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the display including the one or more communication categories does not include any display objects representative of a communication activity.
 18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein determining one or more communication categories for the at least subset of contacts includes determining the one or more communication categories based on a context of at least one of the user of the telecommunication device and at least one of the subset of contacts.
 19. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising determining the set of communication activities associated with a selected communication category prior to obtaining the selection of the communication category.
 20. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising dynamically determining the set of communication activities associated with a selected communication category upon obtaining the selection of the communication category.
 21. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein at least one communication activity in the set of communication activities associated with the communication category is determined according to a context of at least one of the user of the telecommunication device and at least one of the subset of contacts.
 22. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising prioritizing the communication activities included in the second display on the telecommunication device.
 23. A system comprising: a data store for maintaining information regarding communication categories and communication activities corresponding to telecommunication devices; a communication management component, implemented by executing instructions on a processor, the communication management component operative to: identify a subset of contacts associated with a user of a telecommunication device, wherein the subset of user contacts includes a portion of contacts accessible by the telecommunication device; determine one or more communication categories for the at least subset of contacts, wherein the one or more communication categories are associated with a set of communication activities and wherein the one or more communication categories do not correspond to a communication activity; and associate the one or more communication categories associated for the at least subset of contacts in the data store.
 24. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the communication management dynamically determines the one or more communication categories based on a selection of a contact from the subset of contacts.
 25. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the communication management component causes the generation of a display including representations of the subset of contacts associated with the communication categories.
 26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the display including the subset of contacts associated with the communication categories includes only representations of contacts associated with the communication categories.
 27. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the communication management component is further operative to: obtain a selection of a contact corresponding to the subset of contacts; and cause the generation of a display on the telecommunication device, the display including a representation of the determined one or more communication categories.
 28. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein the communication management component is further operative to determine one or more communication activities associated with the one or more communication categories.
 29. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the communication management component is further operative to: obtain a selection of a communication category corresponding to the subset of one or more communication categories; and cause the generation of a display on the telecommunication device, the display including a representation of the determined one or more communication activities associated with the selected communication category.
 30. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the communication management component is implemented by executing instructions on a processor associated with a telecommunication device.
 31. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the communication management component is implemented by executing instructions on a processor associated with a network resource. 